Yellow fever in Congo: MSF vaccinates 710,000 people in 10 days – in pictures

Amid fears of a yellow fever epidemic, Médecins Sans Frontières took part in an emergency campaign of mass vaccination among the 10 million residents of Kinshasa, the densely populated capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Médecins Sans Frontières’ mass yellow fever inoculations in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo began on 17 August, part of the largest World Health Organisation emergency vaccination project in history. Here, teams make last-minute preparations. Managing the ‘cold chain’ of the vaccine is vital, as it must be kept at between 2C and 8C – not easy when daytime maximum temperatures in DRC average 29C in August

MSF staff stack 17,000 ice packs in cooler containers. They are frozen to -22C before being packed into boxes around the vaccines. MSF has flown in staff from 19 countries to help with the inoculations – 100 teams of 16 people to work alongside 1,600 staff from the Congolese health ministry

Once properly packed, the material is loaded into cars for delivery to the 94 vaccination sites. The inoculation drive is intended to prevent the disease getting a foothold in densely populated Kinshasa

Yellow fever kills up to half of those who develop severe symptoms. It is spread by the bite of the
Aedes aegypti mosquito (the same one responsible for the Zika virus). Here, an MSF worker uses insecticide to fumigate an area with confirmed cases of yellow fever

According to the WHO, there are
2,513 suspected cases of yellow fever in DRC, although there have been no new cases linked to the current outbreak since July. The onset of the rainy season in October increases the risk of transmission because mosquitoes become more active, hence the timing of the campaign

Pastor Thierry Kasiala goes with his family to a vaccination centre in the zone of Mfumu Nkento in Kinshasa. He is accompanied by his wife Henriette, his daughter Sidonie, four, and his baby son Emery, along with community worker Bertin. Kasiala works in the Christian church Assemblée de Kinshasa. He has also created an NGO to help people suffering from malnutrition, as well as those living with HIV and Aids

Blandine, 12, has a suspected case of yellow fever. She is staying with her aunt Leonie, as her mother is in a health centre with her younger sister, who is also ill. Leonie says when the symptoms appeared, she had high fever and stomach aches. She stayed for a week at the health centre, but has since returned to her aunt’s home